The document discusses the tribal population in Kerala, India. It notes that most tribal people in Kerala live in forests and mountains along the Western Ghats bordering other states. According to the 2001 census, there were about 364,189 Scheduled Tribe members in Kerala. The largest tribe is the Paniya tribe. It identifies five primitive tribes as the Cholanaikans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikans, Kadars and Koragas who constitute about 5% of the tribal population and rely on food gathering. The document then lists and provides some details about the major tribes found in different areas of Kerala.
The document discusses the tribal population in Kerala, India. It notes that most tribal people in Kerala live in forests and mountains along the Western Ghats bordering other states. According to the 2001 census, there were about 364,189 Scheduled Tribe members in Kerala. The largest tribe is the Paniya tribe. It identifies five primitive tribes as the Cholanaikans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikans, Kadars and Koragas who constitute about 5% of the tribal population and rely on food gathering. The document then lists and provides some details about the major tribes found in different areas of Kerala.
The document discusses the tribal population in Kerala, India. It notes that most tribal people in Kerala live in forests and mountains along the Western Ghats bordering other states. According to the 2001 census, there were about 364,189 Scheduled Tribe members in Kerala. The largest tribe is the Paniya tribe. It identifies five primitive tribes as the Cholanaikans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikans, Kadars and Koragas who constitute about 5% of the tribal population and rely on food gathering. The document then lists and provides some details about the major tribes found in different areas of Kerala.
The document discusses the tribal population in Kerala, India. It notes that most tribal people in Kerala live in forests and mountains along the Western Ghats bordering other states. According to the 2001 census, there were about 364,189 Scheduled Tribe members in Kerala. The largest tribe is the Paniya tribe. It identifies five primitive tribes as the Cholanaikans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikans, Kadars and Koragas who constitute about 5% of the tribal population and rely on food gathering. The document then lists and provides some details about the major tribes found in different areas of Kerala.
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Tribals in Kerala (Adivasis of Kerala) are the indigenous population found in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Most of the tribal people of Kerala live in the forests and mountains of Western Ghats, bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
According to the 2001 census of India, the Scheduled Tribe population in Kerala is 3,64,189 (lunas - 180,169 and felunas - 184,020). Wayanad has the highest number of tribals (1,36,062). Idukki(50973) and Palakkad (39665) districts are the next two that make the lion portion of the native tribal people groups in the state. The Paniya (Paniyar) are the largest of the 35 major tribes.
Primitive tribes[edit]
Primitive tribes[edit]
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Tribal people groups who are food-gatherers (without any habit of agricultural practice), with diminishing population and very low or little literacy rates can be called as Primitive Tribes. Cholanaikans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikans, Kadars and Koragas are the five primitive tribal groups in Kerala. They constitute nearly 5% of the total tribal population in the State. Cholanaikans can be said as the most primitive of them and found only in the Malappuram District. Only a handful of families are living in the Mancheri hills of Nilambur forest division. Kattunaikans, another lower-hill community related to Cholanaikans, are mainly seen in Wayanad district and some in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. Kadar population is found in Trisur and Palakkad districts. Kurumbas are living in the Attappady Block of Palakkad district. The Koraga habitat is in the plain areas of Kasaragod district.
Major tribes[edit]
Tribals in Kerala are living on the hill ranges, mainly on the Western Ghat, bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. As a natural border, the mountain has branches in Kerala as well as in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The tribals on the Kerala hills are only listed here.
Adiyan
Alar
Arandan/ Ernadan
Cholanaickan
Eravallan .
Malappulayan
Irulan Kadar
Kammara
Kanikkar
Kattunayakan
Kochu Velan
Kondakapus
Kondareddis
Koraga, Koragar
Kota
Kudiya, Melakudi
Kurichchan
Kurumans
Kurumbas, Kurambar
Maha Malasar
Malai Arayan
Malai Pandaram
Malai Vedan
Malakkuravan
Malasar
Malayan
Mannan
Marati
Muthan
Mudugar Muduvan, Muthuvan
Paliyan, (Palleyan), (Palliyar), Paanan
Paniyan, Parayan
Ulladan
Uraly
It is estimated that there are about 4 lakh tribal people living in Kerala and about half of this population has made the interiors of Wayanad their home. The tribals were the original inhabitants of Wayanad region. But once the British era opened roads to this region and commercial plantations began to sprout, there occurred a migration of settlers to this region and during the 1940s this migration enhanced tremendously displacing the aborigines or adivasis of the area. The tribes lost their land and dwindled in numbers and now they constitute only 20 percent of the total population of the district.
The native Adivasis of the district belong to various sects like Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis, Kattunaikkans and Uraali Kurumas. They are mostly physically distinguishable with darker skin and stout built physique. They often live in houses made of thatched roof, mud, bamboo and brick houses set in swampy valleys and plateaus.
